"So, after that, they explained how I couldn't tell you guys anything since it would interfere with their research. They told me that things would get REALLY bad if you knew what I know or what they know. But, I couldn't lie to you since you're my friends. So, I had to be honest and tell you everything that happened." Velvet concluded, her story finally at its end.
Wow, just...wow. That's all those who stood within the Wraiths' sanctum could think to describe this. Everyone was silent, as you'd expect, their minds mulling over what the doll demon had shared with them. And yet, for some reason, they didn't seem as shocked as you'd expect.
Definitely in thought, but their minds weren't blown, and their mouths weren't agape in shock.
"Samur," Vega spoke as he turned towards his Seraph, "What do you make of this? Out of everyone here, you've spent the most time studying Argent. It is your creation after all." He asked.
"As strange as this may sound, this isn't too hard to understand." Samur began as he pointed a finger at Velvet, "Argent is the result of combining purity, corruption, and the Wraiths energy. However, we must focus on the third component, as their power is completely different from the other two. Since the Wraiths are cosmic gods, their souls are tied to the universe itself. Thus, allowing them to alter the properties of the space they exist within effortlessly. Now, we combine this with the fact that Velvet is a person whose soul is entirely corrupt. In both instances where she caused a violent detonation of Argent, she tore open a hole through reality. The first time was merely visions into other plains within creation, for it was unfocused. But the second time, she was deliberately trying to achieve a specific outcome. The Argent responded accordingly, and so she was flung through countless places at an accelerated rate. All of which were in Hell for it is the realm of corruption, which her soul is as stated made of." He explained.
"I think I get it!" Sir Pentious exclaimed with widened eyes, "She essentially created a series of portals that opened and closed seconds apart from each other. And unlike regular portals, which are stationary rifts that connect between two locations, the ones she was making had some form of innate propulsion. Pushing her through the different locations before she could do anything." He stated.
"Does that mean she could've stopped at any point?" Stolas inquired.
"I think so. But because she didn't know what was happening, she wasn't in control of it." He replied.
"But then, how did she get back here?" Alastor asked.
"Simple, she in a sense locked onto us." Vox answered, "Once Velvet understood she was moving from place to place, she focused on the Sentinel world and, to a more precise degree us. And since that most of those within our group have corrupt souls like hers, it took little to no effort for the next source of corruption to be located." He explained.
"...Out of curiosity..." The Slayer spoke, an idea forming in his mind, "Could we somehow use this as a means of travel...if Velvet and the others could control it...or say we add Argent to the Sentinels' portal gateways...could we, in theory, travel to any location on earth regardless of what defenses the Dark One and the Marauders might have?..." He asked.
"That...could be possible," Samur responded, his mind quickly getting to work figuring out the logistics, "However, several alterations would need to be made to the pre-existing gateways for
them to be compatible with Argent energy. And that would take some time..." He said.
"Not if you have me." The forget master replied while stepping forward, "All I'll need is some instructions from you on what needs to be done, and my forgers and I can have those gateways changed in a matter of hours. You have my word on that." She promised while hitting her chest with a closed fist.
"And regarding if whether or not WE could control it, would that be possible, Wraiths?" Alastor asked as he looked up to the cosmic gods.
"Hmm...you have already mastered the technique of turning yourselves into streams of energy. With more training with that method, in particular, you could utilize this new use for Argent to your advantage as Velvet has done accidentally." They answered.
"Heh, it appears the matter I came to speak with you father has been solved, thanks to the bold experimentation by Velvet," Samur admitted.
"Oh, that's right. You had something you needed to talk with me about. What was it?" Vega inquired.
"Our sabotage of the Gore Nests failed. The sister demons knew about it the moment we arrived, thanks to the addition of brains at the farthest depths of each one. I suspect they act as a sort of organic security system, but they did allude to them serving a greater purpose of some kind." He informed.
"Hm, that is unfortunate. But, as you've said, thanks to Velvet's eagerness to explore the unknown, we now have an advantage they cannot account for." Vega said.
"Yeah! Good job, Velvet!" Charlie praised her before placing a hand on her shoulder, "But in the future, PLEASE try not to blow yourself up." She begged.
"I'll TRY, but I can't promise anything." Velvet replied.
"Unless anyone has any more questions for our dimension-hopping explorer, I think this meeting is over?" Vega suggested.
"I have one." Lucifer spoke up while raising his hand, "Velvet. I know you were flying through the circles at a break-neck speed. But did you happen to see anything that stood out to you? Whether it was the first circle, you saw in your visions or another?" He asked.
"No. Sorry..." She apologized with a sad expression, "I did see the circle from my visions as I was popping in and out of everything. But I only recognized it because of the lakes of fire, the brimstone, and the pillars. And that's all I managed to see before I went to another one." She explained.
"No, that's alright. You have no reason to feel bad." He assured with a sigh, "I just wanted to be sure Harut and Marut weren't behind all of this. Although, in hindsight, they've probably kept to themselves more than any of us after the war ended. Sealed inside some kind of lab doing experiments for eternity." He said.
"What about those creatures, miss Velvet?" Gabriel inquired, "How were you able to summon them?" He asked.
"I think we may have already answered that question, Gabriel." Vox responded for her, "Much like how she sought us out as she was zipping around the circles of Hell, she did the same for those
creatures she saw in her visions. But because she wasn't moving, she was able to pull them to her rather than the other way around." He explained.
"I can't believe Velvet has accomplished more scientific discoveries in a single instance than I have in my entire life..." Sir Pentious realized, which made her giggle.
"Aw, thanks, Pentious. But it was honestly just an accident." She replied. "I know, THAT'S what upsets me..." He told her right as she yawned. "Feeling a bit tired after your mad dash through Hell?" Alastor asked.
"Yeah...actually...a wave of exhaustion just kinda hit me in the face..." She answered as another yawn escaped her mouth.
"A possible side effect?..." The Slayer asked, addressing Samur.
"Without a doubt. It's impressive there isn't more visible strain on her after what she's been through." He answered.
"If it's okay...I think I'm going to go lie down for a while..." Velvet said.
"Do you need one of us to help you?" Vox inquired, a small but noticeable tone of concern in his voice.
"No, but thanks for the offer, Vox. I'll be fine..." She replied with a somewhat tired smile.
"Alright, but I'll come to check on your after a while to make sure there are no other side effects, okay?" He told her.
"Mhm. See you guys later..." She said with a small wave before walking out.
Leaving the others in the Wraiths' chamber to further discuss what she shared with them, Velvet made her way through the darkness outside the sanctum, put the stone stairs, and went on her merry way through the capital city to the barracks. Here's the thing though, there was something different about Velvet beyond her sudden bout of exhaustion that none of them noticed. Around the doll demon's neck was a white band, but not a choker, that blended well with the collar of her dress. And when she eventually made it to the barracks and then the inside of her room, she carefully closed the door behind her making sure it was shut before letting a massive grin spread from cheek to cheek.
"It worked..." She said quietly before twirling around, her fatigue "magically" disappearing, "It worked, it worked, it worked! Just like they said it would!" She exclaimed.
Upon doing so, she immediately threw her hands over her mouth, afraid someone might hear her.
"...Psst...Harut...Marut...are you two listening?..." She asked in a whisper while looking down at the band around her neck, "You guys can hear me, right?..." She added.
"Yes, loud and clear Subject Pretty Psycho./Velvet, Harut. We must start calling her by her name." The voices of both Harut and Marut replied. However, not vocally, they appeared inside of Velvet's mind, so only she could hear them.
"Wow! It's like you guys are in my head." Velvet commented, her eyes now looking upward to try and look at her forehead, "Also, what did they hear? Because I heard what I was saying, but that's
not what they heard." She asked.
"Precisely as planned, of course. The band made it so that regardless of what you told them, we could choose what sound patterns, as in speech, they were able to detect./And as for what we had you say in place of your actual words, don't worry, everything we gave them is true. So it's not like we've sent them chasing after something that isn't possible." They answered.
"Ah, gotcha. Complicated science stuff." She said.
"Indeed. But spoken in such a way that it didn't seem out of place for your vocabulary./Also, it was an amazing job on the acting. You were phenomenal." Harut responded while Marut complimented.
"Aw, it was nothing. I just did what you told me to when I needed to do it." She admitted.
"True, but what are directions without the ability to carry them out?/Answer, pointless. Do not sell yourself short in this operation. You were believable, natural, and in line with your usual reactions and behavior." They continued to praise her.
"Girls! Stooooop!" She whined as an embarrassed blush appeared on her face, "But seriously, I am sorry I made you go through all this work just because I couldn't lie to my friends." She said.
"Work? Did she make us work?/She's referring to the band./Really? That took us less than a minute to construct./I'm aware, but she feels she has burdened us./Oh no, Subject...I mean, Velvet. We understand your desire to be truthful to your companions./And we are grateful that you allowed us to do this to preserve our research." They told her, going back and forth.
"Pssh, don't worry about it. I'd hate if just because I decided to blow myself up, I'd ruin all of your work!" She exclaimed before putting a hand to her chin, "But...I am a little curious...what do we do now? Do I just keep the band? Destroy it? Do you guys go silent, and we never see or speak to each other again?" She asked.
"If you wouldn't mind, we'd like to remain in contact./Yes, having someone within your group interacting with us can be incredibly beneficial to both parties." They answered.
"Hell yeah! I'd hate if I couldn't talk to you guys anymore. You're so nice." She agreed wholeheartedly, "And maybe, ya know, if you'd want to, I could come to visit from time to time when this whole Doom business is over?" She suggested.
"Oh, yes. That'd be wonderful!/We greatly enjoyed having you over; it was a splendid time. And we know that Cyberdemon misses you as well." They replied.
"Gee, now I HAVE to come back! Can't leave my big cyborg bestie feeling lonely." She said.
"But for now, it'd be best if we remained mostly silent./We'll reach out to you if necessary, but otherwise, for a good while, there needs to be complete communication silence." They told her.
"Roger. No more talking unless you guys say so." She agreed as she gave a salute, which they obviously couldn't see, "This is Velvet, signing off." She said.